


Late Night Talks

by Breemarie12256



Category: Carmen Sandiego (Cartoon 2019)
Genre: Platonic Zarmen, dammit CS crew you NEVER explore these amazing friendships!, truly underrated friendship these two have
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-06
Updated: 2021-01-06
Packaged: 2021-03-16 21:00:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,462
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28588398
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Breemarie12256/pseuds/Breemarie12256
Summary: Carmen and Zack talk one night after a caper in Louisiana.
Relationships: Carmen Sandiego | Black Sheep & Zack
Comments: 2
Kudos: 31





	Late Night Talks

**Author's Note:**

  * For [melodymeddly](https://archiveofourown.org/users/melodymeddly/gifts).



> Author’s Note: 
> 
> Hello everyone! 
> 
> Welcome back to my FanFiction! I hope you missed the good ol angst I keep bringing ya! 
> 
> Today we have some Zarmen for my wonderful friend on discord, who goes by MelodyMeddly here on AO3! Hope you like it Melody! ^^

  
**Set after S3E3: The Haunted Bayou Caper**

* * *

Zack was always hungry. 

Yes, that wasn’t always a good thing per se since eating too much could be bad for your health. But..he felt like it was a good escape whenever he struggled with something. 

Stressed with work? Eat something. 

Need to calm down? Eat something. 

Need to just forget about life for a second? Eat something. 

But this time..Zack wasn’t hungry. Or thirsty, at least. He was just standing on the balcony of the team’s hotel room in New Orleans. Overlooking the beautiful view of Bayou, where Team Red’s latest caper was. 

This time..he just didn’t feel like..Zack for once. He felt like a deeper, more angsty version of the Zack everyone knew and loved. And he didn’t know why he was like this..specifically tonight. 

“Trouble sleeping?” 

Zack almost jumped at the sudden voice, snapping his head around to see just Carmen there. Dressed in her pajamas and holding a cup of tea. 

“Whoa! Didn’t mean to scare you.” She said, holding up her free hand in mock surrender. “I just saw you out here, and thought I’d join in on the..sightseeing.” 

Zack dryly chuckled. “Ya can. Quite a view.” He said, hoping that he wasn’t acting too under-characteristically. 

Carmen hummed, walking up and stopping in her tracks next to him. Setting her tea down on the wide railing. “So..why are you out here so late at night? Usually you’re in your bed snoring away at this time.” 

Zack shrugged. “Couldn’t sleep, I guess. Like ya said.” 

Carmen sighed. “I don’t think any of us could really sleep these days.” She said, referring to her nightmares of her past fights with VILE. 

“Yeah..” Zack looked down. “I just..I don’t feel like going back to sleep right now.” 

Carmen chuckled. “Honestly? Same.” 

Zack looked at her, surprised. “What do ya mean, Carm? You’re the world’s greatest thief! You need your rest for our next adventure!” 

“Maybe..I just don’t want to be the world’s greatest thief right now.” Carmen said solemnly. 

Zack frowned. “Why? You’re amazing, Carm! Why would you quit-“ 

“I don’t mean forever, Zack!” Carmen interrupted a little too harshly than wanted. “...S-Sorry..I didn’t mean to be too harsh. It’s just - nevermind. It’s not important.” 

Zack scoffed. “Bullshit.” 

Carmen’s eyes widened and she looked at Zack, flabbergasted at how he just bluntly swore. She had never heard him swear before, ever, in all the time she’s known him. “W-What do you mean-“ 

“Carm...you’re pretending like your feelings don’t matter. How you feel about..all of this..doesn’t matter. Well, guess what? It DOES.” Zack said, giving Carmen his most hardened and serious look. 

“Avoiding the topic of how you feel, or what you feel, will not end up well. So either you talk about it, or you let yourself slowly drown from your inner struggles.” 

Carmen growled. “Easy for you to say - you sound like you’re talking from experience.” She said, clenching her hands into fists. 

“I don’t need to talk about my personal feelings when someone tells me to, Zack. And..I also don’t want to. It’s just..I’m still trying to..think about some things.” 

Now Zack was getting fired up. “Oh really? Well since you won’t talk about your feelings, I guess I’ll talk about mine because I actually have the guts to do it!” He snapped. 

“Ya wanna know how I’m feelin’ Carm? Do ya? Well here’s your fucking answer - I AM NOT OKAY. I’m not happy. I’m not just GREAT. I’m NOTHING to describe happy right now. Instead? I feel like I’m literally at the bottom of some empty hill. No one to see me. No one to talk to. Just me, and my stupid self. I feel so..alone. Helpless. Like I’m good for nothing.” Zack explained, feeling tears threaten to come out of his eyes. 

But he stopped them. He couldn’t cry. Not in front of Carmen, who he knew for sure wouldn’t want to see him cry. She would see him as some weakling, like he always was- 

“I know that feeling.” Carmen said, sighing. “I know, I know, I said I wouldn’t talk about my feelings..but I’m not doing it because I’m told to. I’m doing it on my own account because..it’s worth it if you wouldn’t feel so lowly about yourself.” 

“.:When I was stranded in Stockholm, after ACME attacked, I lost contact with you guys for a solid 9 hours. Those 9 hours were so long, that I could do nothing but sit in a snowy hole and have no one there to help me. No one to listen to me. No one..just me. I felt so alone. Like no one would really find me..that no one would save me. I was near death when you guys showed up, and it..stings to think that your own team, your..family, couldn’t have made it in time if there was no intervention from the people who put you where you were in the first place.” 

Carmen faced Zack with an empathetic look in her eyes. “I get it. Being alone, with nowhere to go or anyone to save you from trouble...It’s not easy to talk about, or heal from.” 

Carmen then reached out to his hands, grasping them into hers. “Also..it’s okay to feel the way you are. I’m not talking entirely from experience, I’m just saying - we’re all still human here. Humans..are sometimes difficult to understand, but..we still have the ability to feel things.” She gently let go of his hands and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. 

“..You helped me just now by listening to me pour my heart out to you. So..let me help in the same way.” She then paused, and then added. “If you’re comfortable with that, of course. I don’t want to pressure you like you nearly did to me..” 

Zack sighed softly. “Ya really wanna know? Outside of me ranting?” 

Carmen slowly nodded. “If you..don’t mind.” 

Zack took a deep breath. “Whenever people look at me, they see the lovable idiot who can get himself stuck in a tree for half a day. The lovable idiot who is honestly just a dumbass and a pain to deal with. But..that’s not who I am. Who am I? A guy who grew up with his sister on the streets with nowhere to call home, no one else but Ivy to turn to, and...I-I caused nothing but trouble for us. I’ve been nothing but useless ever since Day 1.” 

“Zack-“ 

“NO, CARM! DONT YOU SEE?” Zack yelled, before lowering his voice down after that outburst so that no one who was sleeping could hear him. “I’m..nothing. Useless. A nobody.” After so long of keeping it all in, Zack’s tears finally began to fall. Along with the facade he kept up for as long as he could remember. 

Carmen stared at him in shock, processing all of this. Zack’s...entire personality was a facade? Well, minus the “always hungry” part? How..How did he manage to trick all of them for so long? Even Shadowsan could’ve been able to figure it out! (That man is one hell of a perceptive one..he’s kind of where she got her perceptiveness from). God, now she felt so guilty. She didn’t figure it out sooner, and Zack was left to suffer by himself! 

How does she even help? Uh..a..kiss on the forehead maybe? Nah, that’d be a little too far. Cuddling? Eh..maybe later. A hug? ...Sounds more reasonable for this time (even if she kind of has a trauma from hugs, but eh, that’s about getting them. Not giving them). 

Carmen wrapped her arms around Zack’s waist, pulling him close and resting her head on his shoulder. 

“You aren’t. Not to us. Not to me. And it hurts that you even think of yourself like this.” Carmen said, now starting to feel tears welling in her eyes. 

“We care about you, Zack. We love you. I love you. And I care about you so much, that I would even let my eye get clawed by Tigress if it meant you were safe.” She felt Zack’s back muscles loosen up. Good, that meant he liked her touch there. 

Carmen slightly pulled away, wiping away Zack’s tears (it was the least she could do, since she doesn’t really understand this whole consolation thing yet). 

“We love you, and care about you. Don’t ever feel like you don’t matter..because you do.” 

‘More to me than you realize...’ Carmen thought to herself, before placing a hand on Zack’s shoulder. “...Okay?” 

Zack managed to give her a sad smile. “Okay..” 

**Author's Note:**

> God, I love these two. Like..so much. 🥰
> 
> I spent an entirety of 2 hours working on this to post it on here before I go to sleep, so I’m glad I managed to do what I planned to do! 
> 
> Imma go to sleep now lol. Goodnight and hope you guys enjoyed the fic! Please make sure to leave your thoughts in the comments, and constructive criticism is always appreciated! 
> 
> See y’all next time! 
> 
> \- Bree


End file.
